Thailand: Regime Power Grab Runs into Judicial Brick Wall

Usurping constitutional amendment that would allow prime minister to sign foreign treaties without Parliamentary approval is overturned. Regime cries "judicial coup." January 8, 2014 (ATN) - The now overturned amendment of article 190 of the Thai Constitution would have allowed the Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to sign foreign treaties without Parliamentary approval - in a dangerous and despotic consolidation of power that was begun under her brother Thaksin Shinawatra. Bangkok's English newspaper The Nation reported in its article, "Constitutional Court rules against Article 190 amendment bill," that:

The Constitutional Court Wednesday ruled that the amendment to Article 190 of the Constitution was unconstitutional.

The amendment bill was aimed at allowing the government to sign international deals without having to seek legislative approval on a negotiating framework.

It was to allow the government to bypass the legislature to negotiate any deals except those impacting territorial integrity, sovereignty, relevant laws enacted by Parliament and the opening up of free trade.

The court ruled that the amendment violated Article 68, which prohibited the unconstitutional way of acquiring state power.

While it claims the usurping amendment would not have allowed the prime minister's office to sign deals involving territorial integrity, sovereignty or the opening of free trade, that is exactly what the current ruling regime under defacto leader Thaksin Shinawatra has been trying to do since first coming into office in 2001.

Thaksin was Thailand's prime minister from 2001-2006. Has since dominated the various reincarnations of his political party - and still to this day runs the country by proxy, via his nepotist appointed sister, Yingluck Shinawatra.

Allowing this regime a freer hand in dealing with an already treasonous collection of entwined foreign interests would only invite more attempts to ram-rod through unpopular destructive free trade deals like the upcoming Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) that would effectively resign Thailand's political and economic sovereignty to Western Fortune 500 corporations. It would also invite more opportunities to entangle Thailand's sovereignty with unpopular military adventures of the West.

Image: Regime supporters have already begun calling judicial rulings against the regime's overtly criminal power grab a "judicial coup." In reality, a court ruling against systematic and repetitive criminality is generally called, "justice."

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For regime supporters, they have already begun the cry of "judicial coup," with the regime itself sure to follow in a coordinated display of feigned indignation. What is curious is the supposed dedication regime supporters appear to have toward "democracy" and "representation," versus their support of an amendment that would have usurped the power and authority of their own elected representatives in scrutinizing foreign treaties.

It remains to be seen what, if any, possible defense can be made that explains what otherwise appears to be a classic power grab by a growing and increasingly dangerous tyranny.